


High Expectations

by molossiamerica (afjakwrites)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Begging, Cardverse, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Royalty, alfred is a peasant and arthur is a prince, love me some star crossed lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-05 20:10:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17331557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afjakwrites/pseuds/molossiamerica
Summary: The Prince of Spades is head-over-heels for his servant, but Alfred isn't sure he deserves the affection he's given.





	High Expectations

**Author's Note:**

> Based on prompt by audreyimpossible on tumblr: "You love me as if I deserve you." 
> 
> Cross-posted to my writing blog, @afjakwrites on tumblr.

“Wait, Alfred, please!” Arthur cried, rushing forward to grab Alfred by the bicep, keeping him from leaving. He dropped his hand from Alfred’s arm, taking the younger man’s calloused fingers in his. “I want you to marry me,” he said, his voice hardly a whisper. 

Alfred’s eyes flickered down to the hand holding his, then back up to the Prince’s face. The bright blue of his eyes seemed darker, overshadowed by the pain that was written across his face. “Why?” 

Arthur’s heart broke. “Because I love you!” He insisted, his tone pleading, begging Alfred to believe him, to stop looking at him with that horrible sadness in his eyes. 

But Arthur’s response only seemed to hurt Alfred further, and the younger man let his eyes fall to the floor, unable to look the Prince in the eye. “You love me as if I deserve you,” he mumbled, head bowed in shame. 

Arthur stilled momentarily, glancing down to their joined hands. His was pale and immaculate, devoid of any blemishes, perfectly manicured, and impossibly smooth to the touch. Not to mention the several jeweled rings which adorned his fingers. Alfred’s hand was tan and rough from years of manual labor under the sweltering sun, covered in scars and scratches and still scraped with dirt from the gardening job he’d completed only moments earlier. 

The difference between them was clear. Arthur was the soon-to-be King of Spades; a man of incredible status and impossible wealth. He’d lived in the lap of luxury all his life, had never gone without the best money could buy. He was well-educated, well-groomed, and perfectly suited for the throne. Alfred was exactly the opposite–he’d been born into the common class with little money, and he’d worked all his life to earn what he had; he was uneducated and unrefined, and therefore ill-suited for both the throne of Spades kingdom and its Prince. Thus, it baffled him immensely to be so loved by a man who could without a doubt do much better than him. 

“You think you don’t deserve me?” Arthur asked, frowning. 

Alfred kept his head bowed. “You’re the Prince of Spades,” he said quietly. “You’re going to be King–asking me to marry you is asking me to become the Queen. I don’t have anything to offer you, Arthur–at least, nothing that someone else can’t give you and more.” 

“Perhaps nothing material,” Arthur agreed, gently tugging Alfred closer, “but I’m certain that no one else can do to me what you do. You’re it for me, darling; please don’t think so lowly of yourself. I’ll rule alone if you won’t have me.”

Alfred slipped an arm around Arthur’s waist; it felt familiar, comfortable, safe. “If  _I_ won’t have  _you_?” He echoed incredulously. “Now you just sound crazy.”

“Not as crazy as your ‘I don’t deserve you’ line,” replied Arthur, rolling his eyes. “I want you to marry me, Alfred. You’ll make a fantastic Queen and even better husband, I know it. What do you think?” He asked earnestly, forest green eyes against the electric blue of his lover’s as he gazed intently upon the man.

Alfred smiled sheepishly; “I think I wanna be with you. Not so sure about all that other stuff, but I’ll try my hardest to live up to your expectations.”

Arthur gave him a cheeky smile, “you already have.” 


End file.
